It depends what circumstances you have shown, there is an online calculator which shows how much you can get in UC before applying, you should have used it before applying for UC. What you need to do now is to consult and take advice. Also I think you can get some extra support like LCW, DA, PIP and CA. You need to check your eligibility for each one of them.

Not for people with mental health issues that make it difficult to manage money. A feature of Bipolar Disorder when having an episode is reckless spending.

Hi Lara, Self-employed Ltd directors really got the tough end of it in terms of Govt support, didn’t they? I’m not surprised things are difficult for you at the moment.
When you apply for Universal Credit, you need to show the money that’s gone into your personal account (usually the last three months) – so if the cash is still in the company’s account, you don’t need to tell them about that (as you can’t use it for your own expenses, because it technically belongs to the company). So, if you have a payslip but you didn’t actually move the money from your company account to your personal account (i.e., you haven’t paid yourself), then that’s what UC will look at. If you have had an income, but now no longer have one, that’s also something they take into consideration.
As you say you’ve got no savings, I would strongly suggest applying for Universal Credit as soon as you can – as it can take up to 6 weeks to get any money from them. Your past income doesn’t matter – it’s what you’re earning (or rather, not earning!) right now that’s the important bit. As you have no income, you should be eligible to receive some support. Good luck!

Dear Annie,

thank you so much for your response, very helpful. I am a director of the company (treated as self employed for government support (as I understand it). I did not work for 3 months and didn’t furlough either, I was hoping to find a contract fairly quickly which didn’t happen. I receive min. salary (payslip) from my company but no cash transaction happens as there is no income coming to the company, so can’t really receive the payment. If I apply for universal credit, do I say I received nothing, even though my payslip says something else?
Thank you

Hi Lara,
Sounds like a tough situation. When you say you weren’t able to claim Govt support, do you mean from things like the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme? Or Universal Credit?
If you have no savings, and a small household income between both of you, you should be able to apply for Universal Credit. Being self-employed, you’d report your earnings and expenses on a monthly basis – so you can stay on it longer instead of needing to re-apply every time you have a slow month. If you have a month or two of good profit, this is taken into account, but you don’t necessarily have to close the claim as DWP understand that self-employed incomes can fluctuate.
You can’t backdate Universal Credit, unfortunately, and it can take up to 6 weeks to get a payment. You can get an advance, but bear in mind this is a loan that gets paid back. Especially if your partner can only operate at a reduced capacity for his work while he recovers, it’s definitely worth applying for the benefit (he may be entitled to Employment Support Allowance for being off work due to injury, although again that can’t be backdated).
It’s also worth speaking to your local Council. They should be able to help reduce your Council Tax bill for a short period of time, and may also have a hardship fund for you to access with help for your rent. Universal Credit also may not cover your full rent amount – in which case, your local Council will run a Discretionary Housing Payment fund that you can apply for, which tops up your benefits to cover the full rent payment.
I hope this is useful – you can also post on our messageboards to ask for help from other Magpies and our team, as more people may have experiences and advice to share that could help! https://www.moneymagpie.com/messageboards

hi there. I checked this with our friends at www.turn2us.org.uk and they said “this depends on their circumstances and where they are living as Universal Credit is still being rolled out throughout the country. We would encourage them to use our welfare benefit calculator at Turn2us.org.uk to find out if he will receive Universal Credit.”

Hope that helps 🙂